Eye of the Beholder
by CrimsonBirdhouse
Summary: (non-AU, InuKag...ish) They all see him through different eyes, but one pair above all can see him for who he truly is...


AN: Yet another one-shot. But this time, I'm going to read it over before posting it… I feel like chapter twelve of Haunted –when looking back- was rather unsatisfactory. Ach. Well, anyway… I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Not now, not ever.

Eye of the Beholder

In the eyes of the villagers, he was the same hanyou who had been sealed to the Go-Shinboku fifty years ago by their dying protectress. He was just as brash, rude, tactless as ever. Still as feral, wild, proud, powerful. Nothing had changed, save the fact that was now under a spell laid down by their own priestess and controlled by the reincarnation of Kikyo. He was still Inuyasha, Inuyasha who seeks the Shikon Jewel, because that was what he did.

And yet, the more perceptive of the villagers could see that something had indeed changed in the hanyou. Not his personality, but his motives. He no longer sought the power of the Jewel for power alone; he wanted the Jewel to keep it out of the hands of enemies. And there was the girl, the reincarnation of Kikyo, Lady Kagome and the others. While he had loathed the priestess of old, he protected her reincarnation with his life. Although he was a demon, he stayed near a demon exterminator and a monk. The hanyou was a mystery, really. A puzzle that none of them could truly understand.

To outsiders, he was just another demon. A demon in strange company, for what sort of demon traveled with a monk, a demon exterminator, a strangely dressed girl and another demon child? They accepted him and his companions warily. He seemed honest enough, though loud and rudely outspoken, often belligerent. At the same time, he had his uses; the strange band would kill pesky demons or hunt down murderers, this strange demon often playing the key role in these activities. So although they did not truly accept him, he was useful to have around.

To Kikyo, what was left of her, that is, he was the reason for her existence. Without him, she would have passed back into death months ago, but she was still here, existing in her parody of life because she couldn't let him go. He was hated; she died for him, because of him, because of her love for him. She couldn't let go, wouldn't let go. She was firmly bonded to the hanyou, for better or for worse and wasn't going to let that bond drop. With every visit, every conversation, she let him know it. She was afraid of losing him to another; she could see in his eyes that someone was calming him, gentling him, gaining his trust and his affections in a way that she never had. She was so afraid that she was losing him.

To his friends, Inuyasha was, well, Inuyasha. Loud, brave, impulsive, hotheaded and outspoken, he often found himself at odds with others. He was a protector, fierce and loyal to his companions, especially to a certain girl from the future. Inuyasha was cocky, headstrong at times, stubborn and foolish. But sometimes, there were flickers of overwhelming humanity; of kindness, compassion, but most often deep sorrow when a certain priestess passed by.

And then there was one who saw through it all. Kagome saw who he was, what he was. The rudeness, the brashness, the rough exterior he portrayed was a shell to keep others out. He was afraid of letting people get to close. She suspected that the real Inuyasha was rather shy and timid, very thoughtful and unsure of himself despite the confident and strong figure he portrayed. He was caring, compassionate, sensitive to other people's feelings and insecure and often encouraged him in his own way. He seemed to think that it made him less of who he was, but if he had any weaknesses, though, it was his inability to be who he truly was, to freely express his feelings and thoughts with other people.

She knew that this carefully built shield of his was truly a part of him as well. He was loud and brave, impulsive and often hotheaded at some times. But really, so much of it was just amplified little fragments of his personality that he used to hide behind. Kagome knew him too well to buy into the rough exterior as everyone else seemed to do. She understood him, what hurt him and what made him happy, though he tried to hide it. And no matter how hard he tried to push it aside, she was always there, understanding and seeing through it all.

And to her, that was more important that her ability to see Shikon Shards.

AN: Didn't come out quite as I wanted it to… Ech.


End file.
